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AF, Ohio-based small business develop chemical-, herbicide-free weed zapper

  • Published
  • By by Timothy Anderl
  • Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Anyone with a lawn or a beautiful flower or vegetable garden, has surely wondered about the best method of controlling or eliminating weeds. Using chemicals and herbicides can help, but chemicals may introduce a risk to wildlife, or pollinating insects like bees, in the area of treatment.

Performing research under a Small Business Innovation Research, or SBIR, contract, Global Neighbor, Inc., located in Dayton, Ohio, developed and delivered a hand-held, battery-operated, weed spot treatment technology that uses directed energy to control unwanted vegetation. 

"Every year millions of dollars are spent on weed control in and around military installations," said Dr. Danny Reinke, 412th Civil Engineering Group, who came up with the concept and developed the SBIR proposal.

Reinke was also the government project manager after a contractor was selected.
 
"Weed control can either be performed chemically, by applying poisonous herbicides, or mechanically, by mowing or tilling. Herbicide use has negative impacts on wildlife populations, so having a cost-effective device that eliminates their use or reduces the amount of machinery was one of our goals."

The Sikes Act and Air Force Instruction 32-7064 require the Department of Defense to manage the natural resources of each military reservation within the U.S. and to provide sustained multiple uses of those resources. Edwards Air Force Base, California, like other Air Force bases, complies with these requirements by preparation and implementation of an Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan. The purpose of the plan is to protect the natural environment in concert with the military mission and is accomplished by ensuring that the natural habitat and native species of wildlife are sustained.

"Using heat, lasers, sound or some other form of directed energy to disrupt, deny or degrade weeds and shut them down seemed to be a safe, effective means of weed control that would destroy them in various stages of growth from seeds to maturity," Reinke said.

The technology Global Neighbor, Inc., developed, NatureZap DE, has also been commercialized. Global Neighbor launched a pilot activity, which offers the technology product for sale via Amazon.com. According to the company, the commercial product kills weeds in pavers, sidewalks, gardens and yards without use of chemicals or the risk of harming wildlife living in the treated area.

"The user simply points the NatureZap DE at the unwanted vegetation, pushes a button, and the weed dies," said Jon Jackson, Global Neighbor's principal investigator on the project.  "Having sold many units, to good reviews, Global Neighbor now has a clearer picture of where this unique technology can be used to benefit the owner.

"For instance, the technology can be used to control weeds around ornamental ponds without the risk of exposing frogs or koi fish to harmful chemicals. It can also be used to control weeds on an urban prairie that is intended to be pollinator friendly and where bee population would suffer from the use of chemicals."

According to Jackson, the use of chemicals or herbicides might also harm people directly. The Women's Cancer Resource Center has demonstrated that one of the ingredients, glyphosate, can result in reproductive damage, as well as damage to the kidney and liver. Some studies also show a link between the chemical and cancer.

"For the past ten years Global Neighbor and our partners at Central State University in Ohio have been engaged in researching, testing and commercializing different alternative solutions for weed control for consumers, farmers and professionals tasked with maintaining landscape," Jackson said. "With the award of the SBIR Phase 2 program we quickly developed a prototype that we were able to then commercialize.

"The company has grown from one contract employee and five student projects to five full-time positions and one contract employee. Additionally, our mechanical designer, a veteran who served two tours in Iraq, was able to apply his discipline and Army training to designing and building products that would benefit both the military and commercial markets."

The Air Force SBIR and Small Business Technology Transfer programs are mission-oriented programs that integrate the needs and requirements of the Air Force through research and development topics that have military and commercial potential. The SBIR program was established by Congress in 1982 to fund research and development through small businesses of 500 or fewer employees. The STTR program was established in 1992 to fund cooperative R&D projects with small businesses and non-profit U.S. research institutions, such as universities. 

The Air Force SBIR and STTR programs provide more than $300 million in funding for research and development activities by small businesses annually. With this budget, the Air Force funds research from the early stages of concept development until it transitions to military or commercial use.

For more information about these programs, please call the Air Force SBIR/STTR Program Office at 800-222-0336; email info@afsbirsttr.com, or visit its website at www.afsbirsttr.com.